


Out of All the Stars in the Sky

by EtheriumArt



Series: Out of This World [2]
Category: 3Below, Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Eyyyyyy it's finally here y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!, F/M, I have done it, I have officially begun the sequellllll, and again if you dont like the fic why are you reading it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24695863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtheriumArt/pseuds/EtheriumArt
Summary: The school year has drawn to a close and the summer is kicking off in full swing. Unfortunately for the stranded House Tarron, fun and games is not really what the summer has in store. More like.... 'run for your life and try not to die'. You know, the usual stuff.
Relationships: Krel Tarron/Original Character(s), Nana Domzalski/Varvatos Vex, Steve Palchuk/Aja Tarron, Toby Domzalski/Darci Scott
Series: Out of This World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761508
Comments: 21
Kudos: 24





	1. Andy

**Author's Note:**

> AAAA! It's finally here y'all! One year ago today I posted the first chapter of Out of This World! This moment has been a year in the making! I can't believe that 1) I actually finished the OG fic, and 2) you guys actually like it enough for a sequel!!!! You guys are the best, really! ^^

It had been two weeks since that night, that awful fiasco that left most of Arcadia destroyed. The town, however, was coming together and rebuilding what had been lost, and had been working tirelessly for the past fortnight. 

Andy had received like, four hundred text messages from Eli, whom she had been hanging out with more lately. Krel had been busy with the Mothership, so she’d been spending a bit less time with him. That was okay, though, because he needed his space. He’d been a bit irritable in general lately, and she guessed it was because of Varvatos. He needed time to cope, and she’d give him all the time he needed. That’s what good girlfriends do, right? 

Andy pulled up to the side of Eli’s house, parking her car and climbing out, leaning up against the side. She watched as Toby rode his bike towards her, stashing it in a bush next to her car. “You got the texts too?” he asked, unbuckling his helmet and tossing it into the bush. 

“Yeah,” she said, locking her car, and beginning to walk to Eli’s front door. “My phone almost gave up on life and vibrated itself off my desk.”

“Nope, we’re taking the window,” said Toby, beginning to scale the side of the house with an agility that Andy didn’t know he possessed. 

Andy chuckled. “Okay, whatever you say, TP.” She followed closely behind him up to Eli’s bedroom window. “Why again do we always take the window when we go anywhere?”

“Well in this instance Eli’s mom generally doesn't know we’re here.” his voice sounded strained, almost certainly from the effort of scaling a wall. “And it’s not exactly sneaking out if there’s no sneak aspect. Also it’s fun.”

“Helicopter parents, gotcha.” After a moment of watching Toby struggle, she sighed. “Y’know, I could carry you up, it would be easier for both of us.” 

Toby scoffed. “Oh come on, I’m more than twice your weight! I’d crush you!” 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Andy laughed. She always did enjoy Toby’s company, he was never short on smiles. She had to bite back a retort about her strength, but then again, not everyone knew about her situation. “Y’know, you climb houses with surprising agility.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” he laughed. “I’ve been doing it pretty much every night for the last year!”

“Damn, I didn’t realize that Trollhunting had been going on that long! Or that you were so involved.”

“Yeah, it was me and Jim against the world for a long time,” he reminisced. Toby hoisted himself into the darkened window of Eli’s room, phone first, tumbling to the floor. “A thousand texts! You sent me like, a thousand texts!” 

Andy followed closely behind, although she pulled herself into the room a bit more gracefully. 

“Steve wasn’t answering my calls! I have to tell someone.” Eli said, grabbing Toby by the shoulders and shaking him a little. 

“What, that your voice dropped?” Toby taunted. “Man, I’m still waiting for mine to do that.” 

“Why is it so dark in here?” Andy asked, looking around the room. It was the first time she’d ever been in Eli’s bedroom. Actually, come to think of it, it was the first time she’d ever been inside Eli’s house.

“Focus, guys!” Eli protested. 

“Okay, okay, tell us what!” Toby motioned with his hands, emphasizing his words, and Andy hung back a bit, arms crossed in a skeptical manner. 

“Something that’s gonna rock your world,” Eli proclaimed dramatically. 

Andy smirked, rolling her eyes and shifting her weight over one leg. “I’m not so sure about that.” 

Ignoring her remark, Eli clicked on the flashlight that Andy hadn't realized he had, illuminating his face as if telling a ghost story at a campfire. “Things in this town are not what they seem.” 

“Really?” Toby drawled sarcastically, leaning back and tapping his chin with his finger. “Was the huge ray of light shooting up from the canals your first clue?”

Andy had to choke back a laugh. Toby was a goofball, and in Jim’s absence he’d developed quite the sassy streak. Well, he’d always been sassy, but it seemed to come out to a whole new level without his best friend. “I’m not sure this is new information, Eli.”

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Eli said, walking over to a large tapestry hanging over one wall. “Check it.” He reached up and pulled the tapestry down, revealing a large web of red string, thumbtacks, and pictures. 

“It’s official, Eli,” Andy said, looking at the mess on the wall. “You need help.” 

“Wow, dude, you’ve gotta get out more,” Toby said in agreement.

“I’ve been putting the pieces together for months,” said Eli, gesturing to the board. 

“I can tell,” Andy said. “You’ve gone full Pepe Silvia on us, my dude.”

Toby’s eyes scanned the board, and Andy plopped down onto Eli’s bed, testing the mattress with a few bounces. It was a pretty comfy mattress, and she was tired... 

“Trolls, sure. Wizards? Hmm, I’ve met a couple,” Toby said, tracing red lines. “Wait, aliens?” That got Andy’s attention. She sat bolt upright, wide awake, hand shooting to the secret that burned in her chest and pulsed with her heartbeat in panic. “So you think there are, what, aliens in Arcadia?”  
“And more,” Eli said, getting more and more excited. “People aren't who they seem, Tobes. Look,” he proclaimed, procuring a polaroid picture from his pocket and holding it up to the board in comparison with another photo. Andy got up to get a better look at the photo and her heart dropped into her stomach. 

“Okay, I get it!” Toby said. “You think Aja and Krel are aliens?”

Eli shook the photo. “Aja and Krel ARE aliens! And if I’ve learned anything after six seasons of Earth Invaders, they’re not here to make friends.” Eli flicked on the lights, practically dancing with excitement as he made his way across the room to a box on the floor, and ran straight into Andy, who’d positioned herself in between him and the box of supplies nearby. 

“My boyfriend is not an alien,” she said firmly, arms crossed. 

Eli adjusted his glasses from where they’d been knocked askew. “How can you be so sure?”

“Don’t you think I’d know if my boyfriend was from another planet?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“She raises a good point,” Toby remarked, absentmindedly scratching the side of his neck. “She would definitely know something like that.”

“Okay, okay!” Eli protested, throwing his arms up. “Regardless of whether or not Aja and Krel are aliens, there are definitely aliens in Arcadia!”

“Alright, fine,” Andy laughed. “Don’t get your balls in a twist.”

“I’m going to need you guys, and your warhammer and ass-kicking skills. We’re gonna set traps all around Arcadia,” he explained. “We’ll use my phone to notify us. I just downloaded an app called ‘Trap My Friends’!”

“Hold on, traps!? You’re not planning on killing them?” Toby asked, sounding worried. 

“You better not,” Andy said, heart in her throat. 

“No, no, my traps are inescapable, but very humane. Or should I say, alien-ane,” Eli quipped. 

“Yeah, you really shouldn't.” 

“I second that. Don’t ever say that again.”

“We’ll use candy as bait, just like in Earth Invaders,” Eli explained, opening the box. “Aliens can't resist Nougat Nummies.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “What makes you so sure?”

“That’s true,” Toby said, eyes fixating on the candy. Nougat Nummies were his main weakness. “No sentient being can resist the crunchy, chocolatey goodness of a Nougat Nummy.” He reached for the candy, but Eli pulled it away. 

“Stay focused! The fate of Arcadia rests in our hands. We’re gonna catch those aliens.”

Andy knew from experience that Toby had completely focused on the candy, zoning out entirely. He let out a yell and jumped on Eli in an attempt to get the candy, who began shouting in protest. Before either of them could get hurt, Andy stepped forward and grabbed Toby by the back of his shirt. He stopped dead, immobilized by her firm grip. “Behave,” she laughed. “I can't have you going Lord of the Flies on me.” 

He wiggled free, going for the candy in a haze of limbs and fighting. Andy got pulled down by Eli, who was trying to use her to climb out from under Toby’s grasp. “ELI! JUST GIVE HIM THE DAMN CANDY!” Andy roared, throwing said teen off of her back. 

“Okay, okay!” Eli said, handing Toby the candy bar. “Do you want one?”

She shook her head. “I need to go,” she said, walking towards the window. 

“Actually, can I hitch a ride?” Toby asked. “I’ll stash my bike in the back seat. I’m really tired, and we live on the same street. Please?”

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Andy said, climbing out the window. In a few short easy motions she was down onto terra firma and heading to her car. It took Toby a little bit longer, but he was not far behind. 

Soon they were driving down quiet streets, the only light coming from the headlights of Andy’s sedan and the occasional orange sodium glow of a streetlight. 

“I need to ask you something,” Andy said, in a serious tone. Andy didn't use her serious tone often because she didn't usually need it. “Well, two things, actually.”

“Shoot,” Toby said, setting down his phone and looking over at her. 

“Do you… do you believe Eli?”

“Uh… I mean I guess it’s not the craziest thing to believe? But I’m more inclined to think that he’s just seeing a species of troll he doesn't recognize,” Toby said, shrugging. “Why?”

“I’m just… nervous.”

“That much is clear,” he said, eyeing her over. A sudden bout of self consciousness washed over her, and her cheeks flushed pink. “Okay, what’s your second question?”

“Where did Jim and Claire go?”

Toby began to make up some bullshit answer about camping with Jim’s uncle, one that she’d heard a bajillion times already. 

“Cut the shit, Domzalski. Where did my best friend and my neighbor go, and why was it so important that they couldn't tell me? You’re his best friend, why didn't you go?”

Toby was silent for a while, before Andy realized he was crying. It wasn't until she saw the wet sheen on his cheek in the light of a passing streetlamp, and heard the telltale sniff of someone trying to hide tears that she stopped the car. She’d never seen Toby cry before. In fact, it had been a while since she’d even seen him upset. She pulled off the road, in front of the park. “Hey, TP, talk to me.” She reached over, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You can talk to me.”

“New Jersey,” he said, and it was like a damn breaking. Tears poured out of him like he’d been holding them in forever, and he was barely coherent. Andy waited until it all poured out of him before asking again.

“Why?”

“B-B-Beca-ause the-e-ere’s a n-new hear-eartsto-one th-there,” he choked out. She put a hand on his shoulder awkwardly. She only barely understood what had been going on with Toby, Jim, and Claire these past months, but it was enough that she knew what that meant. 

“And… why was Jim blue?”

“Merlin, the old guy with the staff, he turned him half troll so he could kill Gunmar,” Toby said, wiping tears from his eyes. 

“That sounds like a dick move.”

“Right!? Man, Merlin is such a fucking jackass!” Toby said, and let out a little laugh of relief. “That feels really good to say.”

“Why don't we get milkshakes, and you can tell me all about it? From the very beginning. It sounds like you could really use a listening ear and a sugary drink,” she asked. “My treat.” 

“You’re on,” he said with a sniffle, rubbing the last tears from his eyes. 

The two of them slid into a booth at Sam’s diner, which the neon sign on the door proudly proclaimed was open 24 hours. A dark haired teenager approached to take their orders when Andy recognized him. 

“Wait, Douxie is it?” She looked up expectantly at the emo kid standing in front of her. 

“Damn, you're good with names!” The English accent was a tell all, this was definitely the same guy.

“I thought you were working at the Bistro, not Sam’s Diner,” Toby asked, scratching his head.

Douxie shrugged. “Gotta keep my summer interesting somehow. And what’s more interesting than making money?”

“Trollhunting,” Toby said, at the same time as Andy said “Aliens.”

Douxie laughed. “I’ll agree that those two things sound much more interesting than making money. Anyways, it’s just for a few weeks. They needed someone to fill in for someone on leave, and I happened to have a friend who works here.”

“I just wanted to say, you absolutely crushed it at the Battle of the Bands,” Andy said, grinning. Toby raised an eyebrow at her. It was clear he thought she was flirting. “Ash Dispersal Pattern slapped.”

“Thanks!” he chirped, brightening considerably. “You competed too, right?”

“Yep,” she said, popping her p. 

“You have a lovely voice,” he said, winking playfully. 

Toby rolled his eyes, clearing his throat loudly. “Can we order?”

“Oh, of course,” said Douxie, pulling out his notepad. “What’ll it be?”

“I’ll have the Strawberry Sunrise, with extra whipped cream,” Toby said, closing his menu. 

“And for the lovely lady?”

“The Peanut Butter Mudslide,” Andy said, grinning in anticipation. Douxie jotted down the two milkshakes, and Andy closed her menu, handing it to him. He took both, and nodded.

“I’ll get these orders in, you two enjoy your date!”

Andy and Toby looked at each other, eyes wide. “Did he say date?” Toby asked.

Andy burst out laughing, and Toby followed suit. “Seklos and Gaylen, do people think we’re a couple?” Andy wheezed, slapping the table. 

Toby gasped for air between hiccuping laughter. “I think so! Y’know, this wouldn't be the first time a friendship outing has been mistaken for a date!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, basically our whole freshman year, half the class got it in their heads that Jim and I were a thing!”

“GREAT GAYLEN, I REMEMBER THAT!” Andy laughed, cheeks already getting sore from grinning. “Every time anyone brought it up Jim would turn BRIGHT RED!”

“Reminds me of how Eli reacts every time someone thinks he’s dating Steve.”

“I’m sorry, what? People think Steve and Eli are a couple!?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. Especially before Steve started dating Aja. That was the running theory on why they were suddenly so chummy!”

“How did I not know this?!”

It took a full five minutes of gasping and wheezing before the two of them could even look at each other without going into hysterics. “Oh man,” Andy said, wiping a tear from her eyes as Douxie came back with their milkshakes. “Date. That's a good one, Douxie.”

“Oh, you’re not a couple?” He looked genuinely surprised.

“Nope,” Toby said. “We’re both dating other people, respectively. Darci Scott’s my girlfriend.”

“And Krel Tarron is my boyfriend.”

“Wait, the DJ? From Battle of the Bands?”

“The very same,” Andy confirmed. 

“Damn, this is a small town,” Douxie laughed. “Everybody knows everybody! Well, enjoy your milkshakes you two. I’ll see you around!”

They waved as he left, and turned their attention to their milkshakes. They looked simply decadent; neither of them needed all this sugar this late at night (early in the morning?) physically, but the emotional need was through the roof. Attacking with a hungry fervor, they were both about halfway through the shake before they started talking again. 

“So, how is Darci? I haven't seen her in a while,” Andy asked. 

“She’s good! We’ve got a date in a few days,” Toby said. “But she’s coming to my house tomorrow to watch TV.”

“Nice!” Andy took a long, pondering sip of her milkshake. “Okay. Start from square one.” 

For the next hour, Toby gave Andy a long and detailed account of pretty much everything that had happened over the past school year with Trollhunting; how it had started out as just Jim and Toby, against the world, but when Jim’s feelings for Claire began to take a more present turn, their duo turned to a trio. He told her all about Bular, Angor Rot, Queen Usurna, and Gunmar, and even more about Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. Andy had met Aaarrrgghh, but found herself regretting that she’d never been acquainted with Blinky. He seemed like a totally rad dude, and it really touched her that he’d been there for Jim when his father had not. 

When he was talking about Strickler and the changelings, Andy stopped him. “Wait, is that why Jim gave Strickler the death glare for like, a whole month?”

“Yeah,” Toby said. “It was awful.”

“And on top of all this, Strickler was dating Jim’s mom?”

“Still is!”

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“The…. troll guy… who lives with Dr. Lake isn't a roommate? He’s her boyfriend?” Andy sat back in the booth. “And our former history teacher?”

“Yep,” Toby said, attempting to catch his straw with his tongue. 

“Damn, and here I was thinking my tastes were weird,” Andy giggled, under her breath. 

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Continue.” 

He went on to tell her about Merlin, and about how much of a creep he was. He detailed how for pretty much all of Jim’s Trollhunting career, everyone had told him it was his humanity that would ultimately let him prevail, but Merlin insisted he needed to be half troll. “And he listened,” he said despondently into his glass. “It broke Claire and I for a little bit.”

“I can imagine,” Andy said softly. 

“It was like… how do you help someone with that? There’s no precedent!” He threw his hands up in the air. “All we could do was be there for him. According to Claire, he’s still learning all sorts of new things about himself.” He finished the story by telling her about Morgana and the Eternal Night, and the eventual victory they had on the bridge. “Thank you, by the way, for helping us out. We couldn’t’ve done it without you.”

“It was nothing,” she insisted. “I just wanted to protect my home.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Toby started, “what was up during the Eternal Night anyway?” 

“What do you mean?”

“With you. What was up with you?” He gestured to her. “You looked… blue and glowy, and you had two extra arms. What was that?”

Andy let out a nervous laugh. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about. I’ve always possessed the normal amount of arms for a human being.” She mentally cursed herself for how awkward that sounded, wincing. 

“Yeah, okay, sure,” Toby said sarcastically. 

“I’m serious,” she said. “I was completely normal, just like this.”

“Might’ve been my brain playing tricks on me.”

After a moment of silence, Andy spoke. “So… how are you feeling? How have you been through all of this? Are you okay?”

“Y’know… you’re the first person to actually ask me that. And I think… I think I will be,” he said, looking down into his milkshake. “I just lost my best friend of eleven years. That’s… a lot. It’s only been two weeks, but I miss him so much. I miss everything about him,” he confessed. “And I miss Claire. I miss life the way it was. Before the Eternal Night. Before shit broke bad. I miss the missions and the late nights and the adventures,” he sighed. “But more than that I miss them, and am frustrated they left me here to have adventures by themselves. Let’s be real, Arcadia doesn't need me, it doesn't need protection. If it did, Jim would still be here.”

Andy squeezed his hand. “You’re one of the strongest people I know, Toby. I want you to know that you’re not alone, and that I promise you no shortage of adventures this summer, okay?”

He smiled up at her, relief and mischief dancing in his eyes. “Okay.”


	2. Krel

“Not only are we stuck on Earth, we’re stuck in the middle of a stupid forest!” Krel growled, helping Aja with the chain tied around the ship.

“We only need to move the Mothership a few blocks,” Aja said, voice straining with the effort of moving the chain. “Then, you can fix her. Then we can go home to Akiridion-5.” Luug barked in agreement. 

Krel gave Stuart the thumbs up, who jumped into the taco truck and revved the engine. The chain began to go taut, stopping the truck in its tracks. Krel’s whole body was buzzing with anticipation, he didn't even notice when Andy emerged from the treeline. He didn't know she was coming over to help them, and wasn't even sure how she found them. 

The Mothership began to groan, and Aja ran up to Andy. “More liquid propellant!” she yelled to Stuart over her shoulder. “Hey Andy! I am glad you are here to help,” she said, giving Andy a quick embrace. 

The taco truck groaned, the weight of the Mothership too much for it. Its wheels spun in place, and with a sudden spasm, the entire bumper flew off the back, sending the truck shooting forward. Unfortunately for Krel, he was in the way of said bumper, which beaned him in the forehead and sent him sprawling on the dirt. “Ow,” he muttered, sitting up. 

Andy ran over to him, the worry clear on her face. “Are you okay?” She reached out to help him, a hand floating over to brush the spot he got hit. It was a bit brighter than the rest of his head and was tender to the touch. He sucked in a breath sharply, and she quickly drew her hand back. “Sorry!”

“I’m fine,” he said, scooting away. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Welp, you’re gonna need more horsepower than my taco truck,” Stuart said, climbing down from the driver’s seat. 

Krel groaned, pushing Andy’s hands away as she tried to help him up. “I’m fine,” he insisted. “We’re too exposed like this,” he grumbled, after a moment. “Every bounty hunter in the galaxy knows where we are! We’re too exposed like this!”

Stuart ran over to stand between Krel and his sister. “Well, think of it like camping! It’s a summer tradition here on Earth.”

Krel glared at the grounded ship. “Well, I have my own tradition. It’s called ‘Fixing the Mothership,’ and it’s starting to get old.” He ignored the hands that Andy extended to help him up, pulling himself to his feet and doing his best to ignore the throbbing ache in his forehead where the car bumper hit him. Luug wagged his butt, carrying said bumper over to where the others were, depositing it at their feet. Stuart picked it up, and carried it back over to his truck, saying that he’d see them later. 

“Bye Stuart! I’m coming by the electronics store to pick up that record player later today, okay?” Andy called back at the Durian. 

“You got it champ!” he called back from the driver’s side of the truck. 

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Aja said, walking around the edge of the ship. 

Andy fell in step with Krel, looking for all the world like she wanted to say something. But she remained silent, watching him with an expression he couldn't read. He exhaled sharply through his nose, and pulled away from her to walk in front. She let out a sigh, and he heard her fall in line with Aja, striking up some minor chitchat. Honestly, he wished she’d have just stayed home. It would make things a lot easier. 

They made their way through the ship, eventually ending up at the bridge where Zadra was struggling with the computer. 

“NO! UGH!” the commander yelled, slamming her fist down in frustration on one of the controls as the door opened behind her. 

Krel gasped in horror. “Hey, hey, hey! Be gentle! That’s not gonna work!” He pushed her away, hands a glowing blue blur in an attempt to undo the damage she indubitably did. 

“Nothing works on this ship since that blasted Omen tore through it,” Zadra growled, stepping back.” The computer fizzed and glitched, and Aja gave a small gasp. Andy took a few steps back. “I’ve been trying to contact the Resistance, but Mother is…” She gestured to the computer expectantly. 

“Rebooting… teb-reb-reb-reb-reb-reb-reb-reb…” Mother droned. Krel stroked his chin, puzzled at what he might be able to do to fix her. Maybe if he ran diagnostics on her supports then...

“That,” Zadra grumped, the irritation clear on her face. 

No sooner than she had said that, one of the traitor’s logs began to play. Andy made a small noise of shock, frustration, and sorrow, but Krel didn't pay it any mind. He had… what was the human saying? Ah, yes. He had bigger fish to fry. Fixing the Mothership was the biggest fish of them all. 

At the sight of Vex’s face, a dark, quiet rage that Krel had not quite realized he’d been harboring began to bubble up, and he felt his core begin to burn in his chest. “Ugh! Why do you keep looking at Vex’s logs?” Krel demanded of his sister, turning on her in anger. 

“I… miss him,” she confessed, taking a step back. 

“Well, I don't,” he snarled. 

Her brow furrowed in anger and frustration as she began to argue. “Varvatos saved our lives more than once. You should watch-”

Krel cut her off. “No! I don't ever want to see that traitorous face again.” He turned away from her as she crossed her arms. 

“Nor do I,” Zadra chimed in. 

“Krel-” Andy started, but he cut her off. 

“I have to work on the repairs,” he said, the tone of dismissal evident in his voice.

“Excellent,” Zadra said. “I’ll patrol the perimeter. You and your sister stay aboard the vessel. Andromeda, you should go home.”

“What!?” Aja cried indignantly. “We need to see our friends!” 

“Friends?” Zadra asked incredulously. “Your human friends can't help protect you. I can. You two must stay put.” 

“Kleb,” the twins groaned in unison. Krel may have stuff to do, but he didn't like being confined to the tin can of the Mothership. 

“Besides,” Zadra said as she headed out of the room, “from what I’ve observed, the local life-forms are rude and lack basic hygiene. I caught a furry one with a mask going through our garbage.”

Andy stifled a laugh, and for a split second, Krel couldn't help but agree. He looked up from the computer and turned around, watching her leave. “Wait, do you mean raccoons?” 

Andy giggled again. “I think she does.”

Aja looked at what Krel was doing, and then at the door. “I am going to my room,” she said, stepping down off the dais and walking across the catwalk to the door. “I want to talk to Steve.” 

As she was leaving, Andy made her way up to where Krel was standing, working on repairs. She cleared her throat expectantly, and Krel finally looked up. He caught her eye briefly, and looked back down at the display in front of him. Her face was a stark reminder of the hell she’d been through, and how they’d never be able to escape this place. When he saw the blue side with her dark eye peering at him with an intensity that felt scathing, or when he saw her extra blue porcelain hands, he couldn't help but realize just how alien he was here. He didn't feel all that different from a human, but seeing Andy’s half and half body made the difference all the more startling. 

When he didn't say anything, she spoke. “Are you… okay?” She sounded apprehensive, as if she was unsure she should be asking this question. 

“I am fine,” he replied tersely. 

“It’s just that you’re not really talking to me?” she said, wringing her hands a bit. She stepped closer to Krel, reaching out as if to put a hand on his shoulder, but pulled away when he flinched before she even touched him. “And I feel like… well I feel like you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not,” he said flatly. “And I’m fine. I have a lot to do. You should go home and leave me to my work.”

“Y’know, three weeks ago you’d be ecstatic to have me in here, so you could tell me every little detail of everything you were doing,” she grumbled bitterly, crossing her arms. 

“Yes, well, I have a lot to think about,” he replied. 

“I know that Vex hurt you when he-”

Krel interrupted her, whipping around to fix her with two dark eyes that spoke of more rage than he’d ever outwardly expressed towards her. “Do not ever say his name in my presence, do you hear me? I am never going to forgive him for what he did. He ruined my life, and had the audacity to die a heroic death in the name of it.” 

“I just miss you,” she muttered darkly, walking out of the room. He could tell she was upset as her footsteps were a sharp and short clipped sound on the smooth metal floor. Suddenly they stopped. “Y’know what, Krel?” There was a venom in her voice that he was not expecting. He’d heard it directed at other people before, but her ire had never been turned towards him. Not like this. She took a few steps closer to him, but he refused to turn around. “You need to stop.”

“Stop what?” he growled, turning around to face her. Her face bore an expression of both dark anger and hot fury; she got mad a lot so it wasn't one that was unfamiliar to him. 

“Stop being such an asshole,” she established, crossing her top arms. “I am trying to help you. I have done nothing but be supportive, and all you do is snap at me and distance yourself!”

“Maybe I want space. Maybe I find your ‘support’ a hindrance, rather than a help,” Krel shot back. He was tired of people in his life trying to be a part of everything. 

“That’s just your problem, Tarron,” she growled. “When things get hard, you push people away and curl in on your own emotions. You don't let other people help you, and you can't recognize when other people are hurting as well! It’s like other people’s emotions are a completely foreign concept to you, and you don't even care! If it’s space you want, tell me!”

“Okay.”

“Okay…? Okay what? Okay you want space? Okay you’ll tell me?”

“Just… okay!” 

“You don't actually know what you want, do you!” 

“I know that I hate that awful traitor, I hate this awful planet, and that I want to GO HOME!” 

“Oh, you want to go home? I had NO IDEA! Because it’s not like it’s the only goddamn thing you’ve talked about for the last two weeks. Nope! I had zero clue!” She was positively fuming now, and despite Krel’s own anger he felt a twinge of fear. “You wanna know something? I personally cannot wait until that day comes!” She spun on her heel and stormed out without another word. 

Krel sighed when she left, feeling some of the tension from the past week leave. But only a little. It felt that lately it was his lot in life to always be fixing other people’s problems. And he was getting really tired of it.


	3. Andy

Andy pulled up to Eli’s house, texting the group chat she was in with him and Toby that she was here. After a moment, Toby and Eli scaled the house from the bedroom window, running as quietly as they could to Andy’s car. They’d made Andy the driver, seeing as she was pretty much the only friend with a car. Andy couldn't help but laugh when watching them climb down; it was so like Toby to choose the window.

She rolled down her window as they ran up, blowing some fly-away hairs from her face. “So, where’re we gonna start?” she asked. 

“The park,” Eli replied. “It’s a good place to start.” 

“Agreed,” she said. “Rock paper scissors for shotgun,” she instructed the two of them. “Best two out of three.” They duked it out for a moment, and Toby emerged victorious.

“Suck it, Pepperjack!” he laughed, hopping in the front. 

“I get shotgun on the way back,” Eli proclaimed, sliding into the backseat of Andy’s sedan. “It’s only fair.”

“Sounds good,” Andy said, driving through downtown Arcadia. 

Toby eyed the latte in the cupholder between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat. “Really? It’s the middle of the night!”

“That’s exactly why I need it,” Andy explained. “I can't stay up all night and be expected to be a functioning member of society tomorrow without it. Also the sleepies were hitting me hard.”

She parked next to the park across from the movie theater, and the three of them piled out of the car. She locked it and turned to catch up with Tobes and Eli, who had charged on ahead. She was pretty much just accompanying them to keep them from learning anything they shouldn't, acting as a chaperone of sorts. It was exhausting, honestly; she knew that Eli had suspected something was up, but hadn't previously known that he had photographic proof of her boyfriend’s true nature. 

The three of them wandered downtown for a little while, idly chatting while waiting for a notification from one of Eli’s traps. This whole ordeal was making Andy nervous, but it was better for her to supervise any alien-related shenanigans to better prevent any discoveries. And of course, she had her serrator on her just in case. Luckily for the trio, Arcadia was a pretty safe city with a fairly active nightlife, so three teens walking through downtown past 11pm on a Thursday in early June wasn't too odd. 

Andy was starting to get bored and could tell that the other two were as well, when she heard the rumble of a familiar Vespa engine and the telltale baby blue shine, accompanied by two heads of blonde hair. Staja, likely out on some sort of mission that the queen-in-waiting dragged them on. 

Toby pulled the three of them into an alley as they drove past. Eli stepped out to get a better look, a length of rope in his hands. “That was Steve!”

“And isn't that Aja?” Toby asked, steadying himself against the building. 

“That alien has Steve! She kidnapped him!” Eli asserted, with a touch of panic in his voice. “I bet she brainwashed him!”

“That wouldn't be hard,” Andy snarked, and Eli elbowed her in the side. “What!? He’s my cousin, I can say that.” Toby fist-bumped her despite the glare they both received from their bespectacled friend. 

“New plan,” Eli said, stepping forward with a heroic tone to his nasally voice. “We have to save Steve.”

“Do we though?” Toby asked, giving him a look. 

Andy laughed. “I’m with Toby on this one.”

“Would you two shut up?” Eli said, turning around to face them as they made their way down the street, in the direction that Steve had been driving. “That’s my best friend you’re talking about!”

“Yeah, and my cousin,” said Andy. “He’s a jackass. Didn't he used to shove you into lockers?”

Eli pursed his lips together. “Well, yeah, but that was before he discovered I was right about all the weird shit that goes on in this town! That was before we became the Creepslayerz! We’ve worked on his behavior quite a bit.”

“Fair. He has seemed like less of a dick since you two became friends,” Toby mused, and Andy nodded. “Doesn't change how shitty he was to Jim though.”

“Oh my God, remember the Touch-A-Truckathon?” Andy laughed, putting a hand over her face. 

“Oh Lord,” Toby laughed, “that was a disaster.”

“If I remember correctly, Jim gave up because Steve manipulated him. Then they got into a fight, and Eli won,” Andy recounted. 

“Hell yeah,” Eli said, doing a little spin. “You guys are friends with the reigning King of Spring Fling!”

They followed Steve all the way to the park, where Andy saw Krel standing with Staja. It was strangely dead, there didn't seem to be anyone out and about right now. It looked like they’d collided, but Andy couldn't see Krel’s vehicle. Eli pulled them down behind the statue in the park, where the trio could hear the conversation happening in front of them. They seemed to be having some sort of an argument. At the sight of her boyfriend, Andy sighed. She missed him a lot, and really hated how he was pushing her away. 

“Are you okay?” Toby asked in a hushed tone. 

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… miss him.”

“He hasn't left…” Toby said, sounding puzzled. 

“We’re… going through some stuff right now.” 

“Oh. Oh,” Toby said, seeming to realize what she meant by that. “Shit man, I’m sorry.”

“It’s… well it’s not okay, but there's nothing you can do about it.” 

“I know, but if there’s anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, okay?” Toby whispered, turning to her. “Friends help each other out.” 

Andy noticed with a start that the Tarron twins’ fingers and eyes were glowing, and looked down at her own fingertips to find blue flickering particles. “Shit,” she hissed, quickly brushing a chunk of hair over her right eye to hide the black sclera and blue glowing iris.

“What is it?” Eli whispered. 

She gave a short shake of the head. She had to find a way to get away from here; she couldn't risk being caught. 

As Steve and the twins turned to walk away, Toby’s stomach gave a loud growl that seemed to echo around the park. The trio in front of them stopped in their tracks and turned to the park, looking for the source of the noise. Andy looked at Eli in panic, but he was already arguing with Toby. 

“They can hear your stomach!” Eli accused, standing up. 

“I told you I needed those Nummies! Now shush!”

“You shush!”

The two of them began to bat at each other, and Andy tried to break them up. She didn't need anyone finding out about anything tonight. 

“Come on,” Eli said after a moment, pulling away and adjusting his glasses. “We have to help Steve!” Toby ran after him, and Andy followed reluctantly. 

“We really don't,” she called in a whisper. “I’m sure he’s fine!”

“STEVE!” Eli yelled, and the taller guy turned to look at the trio. 

“Oh, hey guys!” he called in a cheerful tone. Eli tackled him to the ground with a shout, and Steve grunted with the impact. 

“YEAH!” Toby said, also diving on top of Steve. Andy did not join in, and instead stood off to the side awkwardly, avoiding Krel’s gaze. 

“Get off me, buttsnacks!” Steve protested, struggling from under the dogpile. 

“You’re safe now, bro,” Eli said, putting an arm over Steve’s shoulder. 

“Pepperjack! Don't use bro. You’re not cool enough, bro.” 

“Sorry bro. I me-I mean Steve!” Eli said, flustered. 

“Steve!” Aja exclaimed, taking a step forward and clearly concerned for her boyfriend. 

Andy waved to the twins. “Hi,” she said in a faint singsong voice. 

Eli jumped to his feet, on the defense. “Stay away from our friend, you damn dirty aliens!” The twins began to back away slowly, hands up. Really? That was his choice insult? Andy fought the urge to roll her eyes. Aja looked at her glowing hands, and quickly stuffed them behind her back in an effort to hide them. 

“What?” Krel asked incredulously. “We’re not dirty.” He mirrored his sister, tucking his hands behind the small of his back. 

“And we’re definitely not aliens,” Aja asserted. As soon as she finished her sentence, it happened. Their transductions faded in a poof of blue dust and blinding light, replacing their human shapes with the signature Akiridion blues. They now towered over Toby and Eli, each gaining about a half foot in height. Krel’s face was quirked in a guilty half grin, all four hands up in submission. Aja slumped forward, defeated. “Okay, yes, we’re aliens.”

“THERE REALLY ARE ALIENS IN ARCADIA!” Toby screamed, falling backwards and passing out. Andy lunged forward and caught him before he hit the ground, stopping him from smacking his head on the concrete. She lowered him gently and stood up as her transduction faded, arms appearing and body changing. It always felt so weird to sprout a second set of arms; when she was under transduction it both felt normal and restrictive, like someone was keeping her bound. But at the same time, it was what she’d always known. She was finally unbound now, however, and did NOT like the situation she found herself in. Eli also didn't seem to notice the fact that the friend behind him, the one he had recruited for this alien-hunting mission, had become half alien herself. 

“FOR ARCADIA!” Eli screamed, and charged the Tarrons. Andy jumped forward to pull him back, but Steve beat her to it. 

“Pepperjack stop!” He jumped in front of the twins, catching a charging Eli by the forehead in his right hand. Eli grunted, swinging at the Akiridions as Steve held him at arm’s length. “They’re good aliens! I mean, Akiridions!” 

Eli stopped struggling and stepped back, Steve’s hand dropping to his waist. “Steve, you knew it!?” He sounded hurt and frustrated, but most of all betrayed. 

“Uh, well, yeah,” Steve fumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He looked to Andy for support, doing a slight double take as he registered her appearance. She nodded, holding four thumbs up.

“And you didn't tell me?” The hurt was clear in his voice. “But we’re Creepslayerz… with a ‘Z’!” He looked towards the ground, looking defeated. 

“It was a necessary precaution,” Andy said. Toby had come to, and was standing up. She stepped forward, and both Toby and Eli turned to look at her. “We just wanted to keep them safe.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” Toby yelled, jumping back. “Andy’s an alien too!? But she’s your cousin!”

Eli stared at her in shock. “Since when were you an alien?” 

“Half,” she corrected. When their expressions became even more confused, she sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Suddenly, there was a loud clank in the distance. All six teenagers whipped their heads around to the source of the sound. “INCOMING!” Krel yelled, pointing. 

From the distance, a giant hammer-thing came whipping through the air, thrown like a boomerang by some unknown assailant. It was huge, probably about seven or eight feet long, made of some black metal and glowing orange substance. Everyone ducked; Krel, Aja, Steve, and Eli dropped to their knees, Andy did a volleyball dive towards her boyfriend, and Toby did a death drop onto his back. It took out the lamppost they were all gathered near, lowering visibility considerably.

“WHAT WAS THAT!?” Toby shrieked as the crew looked up, watching the spinning weapon flying in an impossible loop, back towards where it came from. 

A glowing black and orange arm caught it as if by magnetic force, and the figure that pulled itself up onto the roof was more formidable than Andy was comfortable with. “HAND OVER THE ROYAL CORES BEFORE I BREAK YOUR BONES!” it bellowed from its perch atop a nearby building. 

“RUN!” Krel yelled, and the group took off. 

“Take some of this!” the figure shouted, throwing its hammer at the center of the group. The kids split as the hammer crashed down towards the Vespa. Steve screamed, and Aja grabbed him, pulling him out of the path of the hammer, which crashed into his Vespa. 

“Running will only make your death more fun!” the thing jeered, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. White hot panic coursed through Andy’s body; she hadn’t ran like this since the Eternal Night, and that had been panic in general. No, this was targeted. 

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Toby asked, voice tinged with a hysteric wail as he ran. 

“No idea!” Aja replied, pulling ahead of him. 

“How do you not know him?” Eli asked, also pulling in front of Toby. “All aliens know each other!”

“What makes you the expert on alien relations?” Andy asked, pushing Steve in front of her, up to where Aja was running. 

“That is completely offensive, and complimentary, that you think we would know all fifty trillion life-forms in the universe,” Krel said to Eli, helping Toby and taking a brief pause at an alley corner. 

“FIFTY TRILLION?!” Eli screeched, stopping dead. Krel and Andy each shot out a hand and pulled him away from the alley at the last second as the giant flying hammer of death crashed into the wall just inches away from where the boy had been before.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” Toby wheezed, as the group ran down the street. Andy tripped over a loose stone, her less flexible or stable Akiridion ankle rolling out, which sent her sprawling on the pavement. She hit her jaw hard on the right, feeling a cool liquid slowly start to seep out of the new crack in her faceplate. Krel stopped in front of some traffic blockades and hazard signs, beckoning Toby past him and pulling her up to her feet. “I thought my running days were over!” Toby griped, as Krel valiantly whipped out his serrator and summoned the blade, leaping back as the giant hammer thing crashed down onto the pavement. Andy felt a surge of pride at his actions; about three weeks ago it would've been her protecting him and not the other way around. The Eternal Night had really changed them all.

“I will crush you!” it roared, spinning its hammer around and gearing up for another attack. 

Aja pushed Krel behind her, and Andy grabbed him, pulling him closer and safer. Aja summoned her shield as the hammer came whipping around again. It glanced off the ionic barrier which sent it crashing into a nearby fire hydrant. The hydrant exploded, sending water shooting in every direction. The creature let out a scream and stumbled backwards, the hiss of water turning to steam an unmistakable sound. 

“Yeah!” Toby cheered from behind Aja’s shield. “Bath time!” Aja lowered her shield as Toby stepped forward, summoning his giant orange hammer. “Alright you guys,” he said confidently, “we got this.” He grinned at his companions on either side. “You know what time it is?”

“It’s hammer time!” yelled the creature. 

“Hey, that was my line!” Toby complained. The crew had began to back away from the situation at hand, but Toby hadn't noticed. 

“Quick!” Aja called. “Behind Stuart Electronics!” The group of teenagers ran after her, towards the world’s narrowest alleyway. 

“Okay guys, let’s show him who’s-” Andy heard Toby say. It seemed he had just now realized he was alone. “Guys? Guys? Oh no.”

“TOBIAS!” Eli called, beckoning Toby towards the alley. 

“Be right back,” Andy said to Krel, giving him a hasty peck on the cheek before running back out into the street. She ran towards Toby. “Hey Tobes!” she yelled. “Remember how I said I could’ve carried you up the wall?”

“I love to crush!” the thing proclaimed, throwing its hammer. It ricocheted off a nearby truck, and Toby began to run, but not fast enough. 

Andy slid in front of him, wrapping all four arms around his waist and using his momentum to sling her friend over her shoulder. She used the rest of said momentum to spin around and charge on ahead, back to the alleyway. 

“HOW ARE YOU SO STRONG!?” he cried, holding onto her shoulder for dear life. She set him down right before ducking in, holding onto his arm and helping him through. “I hate this shortcut!” he whined, as the six of them squeezed through. He screamed as the metal and lava thing nearly grabbed ahold of him from behind. 

“HAMMER, IN YOUR FACE!” it yelled, sending its hammer shooting through the alley. The six teens shot out the other end of the alley, and Aja readied her serrator, hitting the projectile like a baseball up into the air and away from them. 

“Oh, that feels good!” the thing asserted as they ran. It continued to monologue, not seeming to realize that the teens were putting as much distance as they could between it and them. Andy could no longer make out what it was saying. 

Once they were safely in the woods, the teens emerged from hiding. Andy did a mental headcount. “All here,” she said as they grouped up, heading for the Mothership. 

Toby of course flipped his shit when he saw the Mothership. “WHAAAAA?” he gasped in awe. Turning to Krel he said, “There's a spaceship growing out of your house? You have a space-house!?”

Krel jogged up in front of him. “Shh!” he admonished. “That bounty hunter could have followed us.” The six of them ran up to the side of the ship, flattening against the smooth metal wall in an attempt to maintain some cover. “Also, our ‘spaceship’ prefers to be called Mother.” 

“Let’s hope she knows how to stop whatever that life-form was,” Aja said, pulling away from the wall. The group began scaling the side of the building. 

“Have you been here before?” Toby asked Andy. 

“Y’know, I like to say that there's no such thing as stupid questions, but that was a stupid question,” Andy said, pulling Eli up onto the ledge they were scaling. “How the fuck do you think I maintain my disguise?”

“Impressive stage makeup skills?”

“Very funny, TP.” 

Andy did a graceful flip through the open window, landing in a crouch next to a standing Aja and her downed boyfriend. It appeared he had attempted whatever cool thing Aja did, and almost made it. Key word here being almost. She offered a hand to help him up, but he brushed her off. 

“Hello?” Aja called. When there was no response, she nodded decisively. “Coast is clear. No bounty hunter.” 

“Even better,” Krel said, visibly relaxing. “Zadra doesn't know we’re back!”


	4. Krel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter XD  
> Sorry the update is late!! Time got away from me oof

The door to the bridge telescoped open, revealing the control deck and pilot seats. Toby and Eli ran down the extending catwalk, expressing their delight as the other four party members followed closely behind. 

“So cool, so cool, so cool!” Toby squealed, geeking out over random stuff. 

“Is it cool? I mean, guess I’m just used to it. You know, been here a million times now,” Steve asserted, sauntering haughtily down the catwalk. He slipped, screaming as he began to pitch off the side of the walkway, but Andy reached out a hand and grabbed him by the ankle. Krel put his head in his hand and stood back to watch, both amused and embarrassed as Aja helped her pull him back to safety. Steve was a real soolian, he wasn't sure what his sister saw in him. But they made each other happy, and Krel supposed that was all that really mattered. Krel had to hand it to him though, he wasn't as much of an asshole as Krel had originally thought. In fact, Steve could be quite caring and affectionate, when the mood struck. 

“Whoaaaaaa,” Eli said, climbing onto the dais.

“Awesome-sauce,” Toby giggled giddily as the display hologram popped up. “This is so cool!”

“Whoa,” Eli said again, and then turned around to face Steve. “Steve, how could you not tell me?” His voice was frustrated, and he waved his hands in a likewise manner. 

“I just told you!” Steve protested, leaning against Aja who was still supporting him a bit.

Andy walked back to where Krel was standing as Eli and Steve continued to argue. She opened her mouth to say something; before she could, Toby managed to unlock the computer’s self destruct sequence on accident, and Mother began counting down. “Self-destruct activated. You will all die in five sectons,” she droned. 

Krel stepped up onto the dais with a tired sigh, putting his hands on Toby’s shoulders and pulling him away from the display. He shooed the short human away, and quickly disabled the self-destruct. Easy peasy, as the humans say, he could do it in his sleep. He steepled his fingers in a ‘zen’ pose with the last push of the button, stepping away from the controls. He could practically hear Andy rolling her eyes behind him.

“Drama queen,” she chuckled, cuffing him playfully on the shoulder. 

“I can manually access Mother’s database here,” Krel said to the group, beginning to type. “Just takes a couple sectons to unlock.”

“Log,” Mother said, mishearing him again. “Pulling up Commander Vex’s logs.”

“No, not logs!” Krel growled, frantically pushing buttons in an attempt to override it. 

“Delson one,” the recording blared. “Varvatos Vex reporting. Or should Varvatos say ‘Nanny Vex’?” 

“Mother, get him off the screen!” Krel ordered, slapping his palm down on a button. 

“Next screen,” she replied. 

“Noooooo,” Krel groaned, watching as the screen changed to the traitor’s next log. This one was about a human named Nancy Domzalski. 

“My nana!?” Toby exclaimed, a look of horror passing over his face as the traitor began to wax poetic about the woman. The final straw for him seemed to be when he called her hot, because Toby shot forward in the chair and grabbed the controls, trying to clear the screen. “HOT!? Ew! No no no no! She’s not hot, she’s Nana!” 

The screen switched to a video of Vex doing his sparring exercises. “Oh man, he’s a really good fighter!” Eli exclaimed from behind Krel. “Who is that?”

Krel’s face contorted into one of disgust and anger, crossing his arms. Andy put her hand on his shoulder, and he brushed her off. “Nobody,” he growled, shutting the screen off with a decisive click. 

“It’s a long story,” Aja said, voice thick with emotion. 

“Did you know him?” Toby asked Andy. 

She nodded. “I did. It’s best not to press the matter.” 

Krel glared at both her and Aja, feeling a bit betrayed. He wasn't the only one that the traitor had hurt, why did neither of them share his anger?

“Mother,” Aja said, changing the subject. “Any information on a bounty hunter with a giant hammer-thing?”

“Searching, searching, searching, searching,” Mother droned.

“Ugh,” Krel groaned, frustrated, dropping his head into his hand. “She’s still rebooting.”

At the mention of ‘boot’, Mother interrupted her search to say “Your order for red boots has been shipped and will arrive in two to five business delsons.”

“No!” Krel yelled, frustrated. Great Gaylen, nothing was working in this fucking ship! He slammed a hand down on a button, and finally Mother began to scroll through a list of bounty hunters. 

“Bounty hunter identified,” Mother said, pulling up the file. Krel looked up expectantly, four hands resting on the controls. “Magma-Tron hails from the planet Cindor. Cindorites are an almost indestructible, violent race of mechanized beings known for their wanton disregard of life.” Krel and Aja looked at the screen in horror. 

“Well, shit,” Andy said, scratching her head. 

“They are prone to quips, ruthless cruelty, and what humans refer to as ‘trash-talking’,” Mother finished. Aja stepped forward, filling in the place on Krel’s right.

“Mother?” she asked, sounding worried. “Any information on how to defeat this guy?” 

“Searching my database,” Mother assured. “The only known weakness is wa… wa… wa… system rebooting,” she said. Great. Fantastic. This is really what Krel needed at the moment. 

“UGH!” Aja growled, throwing her arms open in frustration. “This is going to take forever!” 

Someone’s phone began beeping, and Eli dug around in his pocket. “One of the alien traps went off!” he exclaimed excitedly. “It caught something in the sewers!” He pointed his screen at Krel and his sister. 

“It could be Magma-Tron!” Krel asserted, feeling a slight twinge of both fear and excitement. “Wait!” he said, turning back to look at Eli. “Were you trying to trap us?” He felt a little hurt. 

“Yeah,” Eli said, not even apologizing, “but only because someone never told me you guys were cool!” He moved his chair over to Steve, staring him down pointedly. “That goes to you too, Andy.” Steve reached over and grabbed Eli’s phone, spinning the chair at the same time, sending Eli careening away. “AH! STEEEVE!” Eli shouted, and the golden-haired oaf just laughed. He tossed the phone to Aja, who caught it without issue. 

“We must stop Magma-Tron before he hurts someone,” Aja said, looking at the phone.

“Or us!” Krel exclaimed, leaning towards his sister, the worry he felt spilling over into his tone. 

“Still happy Vex is gone?” she asked rhetorically, leaning forward. He leaned back and grimaced. As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. “Eli the Pepperjack, take us to the sewers,” Aja said, holding out the phone. 

The six of them prowled the sewers, Eli taking the lead with his phone. He was wearing that black shirt and helmet combo that he always wears when on ‘Creepslayerz’ missions. Not far behind was Toby, clad in that copper colored armor he wore on the day of that strange lunar anomaly. Andy was next, serrator in hand but not yet extended. Krel walked right behind Andy, serrator at the ready as well, and behind him were Aja and a black clad Steve with a large wooden instrument. Andy had called it a baseball bat. 

Pretty soon the beeping from Eli’s phone began to get more urgent, and he stopped, turning to the group. “The trap is just around this corner,” he said in a low voice. 

“We’ll take it from here,” Aja said, turning to Krel with that violently determined glint in her eyes as she extended her serrator. 

Krel matched her expression and summoned his own blade. “Hell yeah,” Andy said, blade out and at the ready. 

Toby cleared his throat, and both Aja and Krel turned to look at him expectantly. He pulled out that small handheld device he always had on him, deploying the warhammer. Krel had to admit that although it was fairly low-tech looking, it was really cool. 

Eli began to pull out his pointy throwing things, which Andy had called shruikan once, and Aja counted down on her fingers. When she reached one, they all charged into the space, shouting. Krel did a slide on his knee, landing in a crouched battle stance that he’d seen Andy and Aja do when sparring. 

It was then he realized that whoever was caught in the trap, dangling from the ceiling, was not Magma-Tron. 

“Zadra?” he asked incredulously, as he watched his protector struggle to reach a piece of candy that was on the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“You know her?” asked Toby, clearly confused. 

“None of my battlefield training prepared me for the temptations of these delicious confections,” she confessed, finally managing to grab the candy. She ripped off the plastic wrapper and began to eat it fervently. 

“Yeah! The Nougat Nummies! They worked!” cheered Eli, coming out of the tunnel with Steve. 

“I ordered you not to leave the ship for your own protection,” Zadra said, tone disapproving. 

“Wait, is there some sort of cheat sheet we could get? Like, who do we tell who’s a good alien or a bad alien?” Toby asked. 

Next to Krel, Andy rolled her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing about trolls,” she said. 

“Fair enough, fair enough,” Toby replied. 

Just then, there was that telltale distant clank, and Krel watched as Magma-Tron’s hammer came shooting down the tunnel. They all ducked, and Toby yelled “COMING BACK!” as the hammer performed its boomerang function, the crew hitting the deck once more. 

Magma-Tron caught it as he lumbered into the room. “Give up your cores, Tarrons, before I rip them from your bodies!” 

“That is clearly a bad alien,” Eli said to Toby. 

“Thank you,” said Andy, holding her hand out and leaning over one leg casually, as if there wasn't a giant mechanized lava alien about to crush and kill them all bearing down her back. “Someone’s paying attention.” 

“A Cindorite?” gasped Zadra, still caught in the trap. “My Royals, run!”

The bounty hunter began to march towards them evenly. “With Varvatos Vex off planet, no one can save you now,” he jeered. 

“Off-planet?” Aja asked, reeling a little. 

“What do you mean, off-planet?” Andy growled, taking a few steps forward. She stood slightly to Krel’s right, but in such a way that she was definitely shielding him protectively. 

“You know where Varvatos is,” Aja said. “Where is he?!” Her serrator extended with the typical shhhhink of ionic weaponry activating. 

“Not here to protect you!” Magma-Tron gloated. 

“We don't need that traitor to protect us,” Krel said, sidestepping Andy and spinning his serrator. 

Before Krel or Aja could do anything, however, a screaming Toby came running from behind them, hammer at the ready. He slammed his giant weapon into Magma-Tron’s head, the hammer glancing off of the bounty hunter’s body with a clang. He remained unharmed, and Toby’s armor rattled in a way that sounded painful. “Eeeeverything hurts,” he wheezed, taking a few steps back. 

“Say goodbye to your teeth!” Magma-Tron crowed. He slammed his hammer into Toby, sending him flying across the room and skidding to a halt in front of the trio. 

“TOBY!” Aja and Andy screeched in unison, as the three of them looked down at him in concern. 

“Woooo,” Toby wheezed. “Little rusty since Jimbo left, huh?” 

In the background, Krel heard the net rattle and Zadra scream “GET ME DOWN, NOW!”

“Yes ma’am!” Eli squeaked. 

“You cannot outrun my wrath!” Magma-Tron growled. He threw his hammer but Aja threw her shield up faster, and it glanced back into his hand. “Making me work for my nine billion crestons? Good thing you’re wanted alive… or dead!” He lumbered forward, hammer spinning menacingly. 

“I have a plan, reset the trap!” Krel heard Zadra say. He saw Andy looking between Magma-Tron and Zadra, unsure of what she should do. 

“Help Zadra,” he barked. “I will yell for you if I think we cannot handle it.” He and Aja could handle this. It was his pride and his worry at work here; he didn't need Andy’s protection, but he also couldn't help but think of the last time Andy had encountered a bounty hunter. She was permanently physically marked with that experience and story, and Krel didn't want to incite another self sacrifice. He knew she’d do just about anything to keep him safe. 

She nodded wordlessly, and he turned back to the fight at hand. Aja let out a warcry, hitting high as Krel slid past the Cindorite on his knees, hitting low. The three of them danced about, hammer falling just shy of hitting either kid. The hammer swung for his twin and Krel felt his core drop into his stomach, it wasn't the sort of hit you could dodge. However, Aja swung her serrator up to meet it, and sliced the hammer clean in two. Krel’s eyes widened in shock and he couldn't help but feel both proud and impressed. 

“You’ve seen Varvatos,” Aja growled, pointing her serrator at him. “Where is he?”

Magma-Tron laughed, summoning each half of the hammer. Krel ducked as it flew over his head and into the Cindorite’s waiting hand to keep it from knocking him over. 

“Our serrators have no effect on him!” Aja observed, sounding terrified as the duo kept him busy. He slammed his now two hammers into the ground, sending the twins sliding backwards with the force. 

“Because Cindorites are indestructible!” Zadra informed. “Ready?” she called. 

Krel didn't get to see what she was talking about, because no sooner than the words left her lips, Magma-Tron slammed his hammer into him. He tumbled across the floor and groaned, head spinning. 

“Krel!” Aja yelled, sounding like she was struggling. He groaned, trying to stand up, to help her, to get to her somehow, but he could barely pick himself up onto his hands and knees. 

“Cindorite!” he heard Zadra say. “That’s right, over here you craz-nut soolian!”

“Fight ME, you bitchass motherfucker!” Andy’s voice roared, egging the bounty hunter on. 

“WHAT DID YOU DARE CALL ME?” Magma-Tron roared in kind, dropping Aja, who slumped to the floor. “I WILL KNOCK THE SKULLS FROM YOUR BODIES!”

“NOW!” Zadra screamed, and the three boys yanked on the rope to the trap, catching Magma-Tron inside. Krel got up, joining Aja and running over to where the Cindorite was caught. 

“I’ll ask you one more time,” Aja threatened, holding her serrator to the bounty hunter’s face. “Where is Varvatos?” 

Magma-Tron laughed, a horrible, spiteful sound. “He’s on Earth’s moon, rotting away in some prison cell,” he jeered. 

“Varvatos was… captured?” Aja asked, stepped away. Her blade lowered a bit with her defenses at the shock of the news. 

Krel lowered his own blade, breath catching in his throat. “He didn't leave us,” he said softly. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to prove that Magma-Tron was lying somehow, but in his core he knew that he wasn't. “He was taken.”

“By whom?” Aja snarled darkly. 

“Zeron Alpha,” Magma-Tron said, matter of factly. “Commander Vex is heading home to Akiridion-5 for his execution.”

“Execution?” Krel said in an incredulous low voice. Aja gasped wordlessly. 

“You’ll be reunited with Varvatos in death,” Magma-Tron assured, beginning to spin faster and faster, summoning his hammers. The weapons knocked over the five people holding the ropes up, and the bounty hunter was free. The hammer crashed into Krel again, sending him flying with a grunt. He hit the cold cement ground once again, skidding to a halt several feet away with a groan. 

“NO!” Andy screamed, and Krel watched her attempt to get up. She stood, but as soon as she took a step she faltered, face contorting in agony as she fell hard to the ground. Zadra scrambled over to her and began to worry over something Krel couldn't see.

“Krel!” Aja yelled. With a fierce cry she charged across the tunnel as Magma-Tron lumbered towards him, vaulting over the hunter’s head and landing between him and Krel. They exchanged blows, but ultimately Aja’s serrator was knocked out of her hands by both of Magma-Tron’s hammers, sending her toppling over. The serrator clattered past Krel, and he let out a short gasp of fear and worry. 

“It will all be over soon, Princess,” Magma-Tron said patronizingly. He took his stance and summoned his hammers, which began to glow and slide across the floor. 

“Grab the hammer!” Zadra yelled. “Don't let him get his weapon!”

As the hammer began to slide past Krel, he jumped on it, slowing it down considerably. He was however, not heavy enough to stop it completely. Aja jumped to his aid, holding onto his body in a chain. On the other side, the boys helped Zadra hold back the hammer. Both Toby and Andy were crumpled on the ground, and Krel felt a pang of worry. The five of them strained against Magma-Tron, screaming in exertion, terror, and anger. 

Suddenly, Toby sprang up. “GUYS! Magma-Tron’s weakness is water!” Krel watched as the armored kid took a running start and launched off of Steve and Zadra’s shoulders, throwing his hammer at a nearby pipe. The crystal hammer burst the pipe on impact, dousing them all with a spray of slightly gross smelling water. 

The effect was immediate. Magma-Tron began to shudder and shake, slowly grinding to a halt as he started powering down. 

Krel grit his teeth, holding the hammer back with all his might. “Zadra, let go of the hammer now!” Aja yelled, and both parties released their respective halves of the hammer. They crashed into each other, but more importantly, into the now vulnerable Magma-Tron. As soon as they hit the body of the Cindorite, he exploded in a splash of lava, fire, molten metal. Everyone jumped back to avoid the spray. 

Toby lept to his feet. “That was AWESOME-SAUCE,” he declared. Behind him, Andy sat up, trying to pull herself up against the wall. She wasn't putting any weight on her Akiridion leg, keeping it lifted off the floor. 

“Yep! That’s my girlfriend!” Steve cheered, hugging Eli around the shoulders. “And you are my friend, Pepperjack.” He held up his hand in that weird gesture they did. 

“Yes!”

“Creep-”

“Slayerz!” Toby cried gleefully. “Best friends? Bros?”

“Yeah, okay Pepperjack, bros,” Steve said, pulling away to stand next to Aja. “But you’re still a buttsnack.”

Krel watched Zadra scoop Andy up. “I’m fine, really,” he heard her say. “Just a bad fall is all. I’m okay Zadra. Zadra. Stop. Put me down. I’m fine.” He and Aja propped up the hammers as Zadra walked over to them, arms full of a protesting Andy. 

“Sorry we snuck out, and were nearly killed… again,” Krel said, his tone conceding. “You were right.” 

“You were right as well,” Zadra confessed, eyebrows contorting in an apologetic expression. “If you hadn't left the ship, I might have been killed. And I see now that there aren't just enemies out there. These humans can be our allies… our friends.”

“I could have told you that,” Andy chuckled. “I’m human.”

“You don't count,” Zadra teased, looking down at the teen. “You’re much too blue.” 

Krel began to examine the hammer in front of him. “This is pretty nice,” he said, hoisting it up and showing it to them. “Has a lightweight thruster.” He immediately knew exactly what he was going to do, and chuckled. “I can put this to good use!” 

Krel waved to Aja and Steve as they directed the Mothership through the forest and down the block. The first light of the sun warmed the surface of the planet that had been his exile for about a month now, casting everything in a golden hue. It was so different than on Akiridion-5; the sun here was more direct and shone much less timidly. 

Aja waved the strange caravan to the resting place of the Mothership. Krel looked down from his high vantage point on top of the roof next to Toby, laughing a little to himself. They had used the hammers as thrusters to lift the Mothership off the ground, and were using Stuart’s taco truck to tow it. Toby was also using his hammer, which could apparently float, as additional support, holding onto the hammer and the roof and acting as a stabilizer. 

Steve and Eli walked up to the hammers, and together pulled them off of the ship, just like the group discussed when formulating this plan. Andy got out of the taco truck and stood between Zadra and Stuart, holding their arms for support. 

“More to the left!” Krel called down at the teens as the ship lowered. 

“You’re not helping!” Toby retorted, and Krel couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed like today was going to be okay after all. 

A little while later found Krel in the bridge, finally on the verge of repairing the ship. “This better work,” he said. “Your glitching is starting to get more annoying than the Blanks.” He leaned down and opened the main panel to the control board. “And that is saying something.” He pushed a few buttons, and Mother flickered.

“Security protocols… disabled,” she said, finally without any glitching as her display went dark. She sounded almost in shock, as if Mother couldn't believe it worked. If it did. 

“Uh…. Mother?” he called, nervous, as he sat down on the bridge. There was a fizzing, crackling sound behind him. 

“Good evening, my Royal,” her cool and even voice sounded from behind him.

“Aha!” he exclaimed, turning to see her familiar hologram floating just above his eye level. “It worked! How do you feel, Mother?” He was so relieved to see her again. Finally, something was working out for him. 

“I feel… well I feel… almost alive,” Mother replied, with more expression than Krel remembered. 

“Would you… perhaps feel like accessing Varvatos’ personal logs?” he asked, somewhat sheepishly. 

“Are you sure you want to view them, my Royal?” she asked, leaning in slightly.

“Yes, I am sure,” he said, though more to himself than to her. 

“Accessing,” she said, floating upwards and away from him, hologram dispersing. 

“498, 499, 500!” Krel heard from behind him. He turned around to watch the screen, which was showing Vex doing pushups with Luug on his back. The screen changed, this time showing Vex going through training exercises, serrator glinting in the light. The next screen change showed Vex wearing Krel’s spare headphones and doing the most awkward dance Krel had ever seen. “The princeling has become quite good at this Earthly ‘moo-sic’,” Vex said, an honest smile plastered onto his digital face. “Varvatos is feeling the beat!” 

Krel watched as the logs displayed their first days here, through Vex’s eyes. He watched the man make a fuss about his transduction, cheer about their victories, and worry over the kids in an almost parental manner. Krel felt his core ache; this man really loved him, really cared for him, and Krel felt all his anger melt change into something else. Something sad. 

“Commander’s log. Delson 12. The king-in-waiting continues to struggle fitting in with the other hoomans. It pains Varvatos that they do not understand him. Perhaps Varvatos can beat the children into befriending Krel, HAH!” Krel chuckled at that, but his amusement was cut short by the next clip. 

“As your commander-” Vex started to shout, but a familiar voice cut him off. 

“Exactly, commander! You are NOT my papa! And this is NOT MY HOME!” The door slammed in the video as Vex turned back to the camera. Krel drew his knees in tighter and swallowed in an attempt to dislodge the lump that was stuck in his throat. 

“Varvatos is trying his best, Mother, but he swears battling larvoxen is easier than raising teenagers.” Krel sniffed and rubbed his nose, exhaling in an attempt to abate the tears that threatened to pour out. He put his head down on his knees, overcome with emotion. “Varvatos does not feel like this is babysitting anymore.” Krel had become aware of Aja’s presence a little bit ago, and he extended his hand behind him and out to her, beckoning her forward. “Aja and Krel, they are like family now.” That line especially stung now that Krel knew what had happened to Vex’s family. Krel had only been in mourning of a life he no longer had, his parents were safe and regenerating inside the ship. He would have a family again. Varvatos did not have that promise, his family had been destroyed, their cores burned and crushed beyond hope of saving. 

“Spending time with Varvatos?” Aja asked softly, crouching down and placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“I want to hate him, Aja,” he said, lifting his head. “I want to hate him so much.” He clenched his fist, face twisting. “But he really loved us.” The anger disappeared from his voice, replaced only with sorrow. 

Aja sighed. “I know he did,” she replied. “Varvatos would be here if he could.”

Krel exhaled again, putting his hand on Aja’s shoulder as he stood up. “We’ll get him back,” he promised, Aja standing with him. They both looked towards the screen, the emotional weight of the loss of Vex palpable and heavy. “We’re going on a rescue mission… to the moon.”

Aja looked at Krel and smiled, eyes shining with tears not yet fallen. “Thank you,” she said, taking his hand. 

He nodded. “I am sorry that I was such a buttsnack about it before. I just… I didn't understand why you would care about someone who left us here.”

“I knew that something had to be wrong,” she said. “I knew he would never leave us intentionally.” There was a brief moment of silence as Krel attempted to get his emotions back in order. “You know, I am not the only person you have been a buttsnack to,” Aja said, circling around to face Krel, crossing her arms and lifting an eyebrow.

“Hm? What do you- oh.” The realization hit Krel like the midday heat. “Andy.” 

“Mhm,” Aja urged, inclining her head. 

“I really do owe her an apology,” he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I will give her a call. Then we can make plans for rescuing Vex.”


	5. Andy

Andy blinked groggily, trying to make sense of the world. What was that noise… where was it.. OH. That was her ringtone. Her phone was ringing. She groaned, rolling over in bed to look at the time. It was 5:12pm, and she was still exhausted despite the fact that she’d gone to bed about eleven hours ago. 

She sat up and immediately regretted it, sucking in a sharp breath of pain. “Shit!” she hissed, head throbbing and body aching. Last night had really done a number on her. She leaned down forward, rubbing her left ankle.

When she had dragged herself home, Steve supporting her, her mom had been abhorred at the state she was in. She had a cut along her jawline that had needed stitches (which Stuart and Zadra took care of, thank Seklos for Akiridion medicine) bruises on her arms and legs, and a sprained ankle. At least, that’s what the injury translated to under the effects of transduction. She wasn't entirely sure what was actually wrong with her left ankle, but it couldn't be good. 

Her phone rang again, and Andy shook her head as if to clear it. She reached over to her nightstand and picked it up, not checking to see who the call was from. “Ello?” she mumbled, dropping the H. 

“Andy? Are you okay?” Krel asked from the other end. This sobered her up quite a bit, seeing as he hadn't actually called her in over two weeks.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You didn't pick up your phone, I called you like six times,” he explained. She checked her missed calls and sure enough, Krel had called her six times. 

“Damn, Tarron,” she laughed, which turned into a yawn. “I was asleep.”

“In the middle of the day?”

“Well I mean we did spend all night hunting down and killing a giant metal lava monster with a massive hammer,” she recounted, “and I did get pretty beat up.”

She heard him chuckle. “I suppose that is true, yes. Are you… are you free right now?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Could you come over?”

“Why?” 

“We need to talk,” was all he said before hanging up. Andy’s heart dropped into her stomach. 

“We need to talk?” she muttered to herself as she got dressed, hopping around the room on one leg. “We need to talk? Why do we need to talk?” She pulled on shorts and a tank top, tying her hair back into a ponytail. It was too hot to wear it down today. 

She grabbed her keys from her dresser and her crutches from where they were leaned up against the wall, and hobbled into the hallway. Now came the difficult part: stairs. She hadn't had to use crutches since she broke her ankle in the fourth grade, and their house in San Diego had only been one story. She did the awkward shuffle-hop down the stairs that she’d done twice already, grabbing an apple from the kitchen to eat in the car when her stomach rumbled violently. She hoped Lucy would have some food cooking; she normally did, but Andy was famished. 

She hopped behind the wheel of her sedan and drove to the Tarron household. Traffic was light despite the time, and before long she was knocking on the door. 

“Yes?” Lucy Blank asked as she opened the door. “Oh! Hello Andy. Come on in! Dinner’s almost ready.”

Andy crutched into the room, and Krel poked his head out from his door. His face lit up in a smile when he saw her, and he rushed over to where she was staggering towards him. He looped two arms under her, supporting her fully. “Let’s get you checked out by Mother,” he said, and they walked to the fireplace. He was acting more normal than Andy had seen him act in two weeks, and she wasn't sure what to think. “You may have to spend a short while in a stasis chamber. I’m not sure if anyone told you, but that is what they are most commonly used for on Akiridion.”

No one had told her that, in fact. She followed him wordlessly down the polished hallways, really unsure of how to react to the situation at hand. This was… weird. Krel was acting weird. She didn't like it. 

Before long the two of them were standing in the doorway of the familiar stasis room, looking over at the king and queen. Andy was dreading going back into the pod- the liquid was heavy and thick and vile and got in everything. She hated it. 

“I don't want to get back in the pod,” she said quietly. 

“I know,” Krel sympathized. “It’s not a lot of fun. But you will heal much more expediently if you do.”

She sighed and crutched over to the pod. “How long do I have to stay in this thing?”

“Only about fifteen to twenty mekrons,” Krel replied. “You won't even realize you were asleep.” He pushed some buttons on the pop up hologram display, and the third pod lit up with a steady orange glow. “Mother,” he called, and the teardrop shaped hologram materialized. 

“Yes, my Royal?”

“Set pod three to heal,” he commanded. 

“Right away, my Royal.” 

Andy sighed, dropping the crutches. “Here goes nothing.”

“Let me help you,” Krel offered, walking forward and without waiting for a yes or no, scooped her up into his arms. He’d never done that before. He lowered her into the pod so she was sitting up, the cool gel pooling over her legs and up her torso. He rested a hand on her cheek, palm cupping her jaw, and he gave her a small smile. 

Then, with all the resolve she could muster she took a deep breath and laid back into the pod, feeling the goop slide over her body and face. She kept her eyes squeezed shut and felt her breath scream in her chest for a split second, then everything went dark. 

Not a second later, her eyes snapped open and she burst out of the pod with a choking, shuddering gasp. She coughed up a bunch of that nasty orange goop as Krel rushed to her side, putting hands on her shoulders. 

“Do you feel alright?” he asked, face an open book of concern. 

She nodded, allowing him to help her out of the pod. “Didn't dream that time around.”

“You had dreams the first time?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll… tell you about them sometime.” She climbed down, testing her ankle, which was now the black and blue of its true form. Sure enough, it didn't hurt. She reached up to touch the nasty cut on her jawline and it was gone too. She doubted it even scarred. Hell, even her bruises were gone. Her human bruises! “That’s an insane piece of technology,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“It is indeed,” he replied. “Will you come with me to my room?” he asked, after a moment. Without waiting for a reply, he began heading out of the room. 

She shrugged to herself, still thoroughly weirded out with how he was behaving and how this day was going. She followed him out the door and through the living room, turning the corner in the kitchen to head into the hallway that housed his room. 

He plopped down on his bed and patted the spot on the covers next to him when she stood in the doorway awkwardly. 

There was a moment of the world’s most awkward silence before he said anything. “There is something I need to say,” he said softly, almost as if he was afraid of saying it. “I have been very unfair to you.” He refused to meet her gaze, instead looking down at his hands, which he had rested on top of each other on his knees. “And I am deeply, truly sorry.” 

This was not what she was expecting at all, and she felt her chest tighten. She took a breath and opened her mouth to say something, but he continued to speak. “I understand if you are wanting to be finished,” he said, “and I understand if you decide you want… us… to stop.” It was getting significantly more difficult for him to speak steadily, his voice wobbling a bit with each word. “I… did not process my own feelings about everything well, and I took it out on you. I did not mean a word of what I said to you on the bridge. I am sorry for…. Well, I am sorry for the past two weeks.” 

Andy took a sharp breath in, tears rising in her own eyes and throat constricting. “I’m sorry too,” she breathed, reaching out to grab his hands. “What I said… what I said on the bridge… I didn't mean it either,” she said, beginning to cry freely. “God, I didn't mean it at all. I’m so afraid of losing you, Krel,” she confessed. “And I spoke out of anger. I never want you to leave,” she managed, emotions threatening to get the better of her. 

He gave her an emotional smile, letting out a half laugh, half sob. He reached a hand up to cup her cheek and she leaned into the touch, grateful for him and his presence. “Do you forgive me?” he whispered. 

“Only if you forgive me,” she replied in an equally hushed tone.

“I do,” he said, and they embraced. It was one of the best hugs Andy had ever had, and she melted into his touch, crying freely out of relief and happiness and something else she couldn't quite place. After a moment, she pulled back, drinking in the sight of his face without anger, noses nearly touching. He let out a contented sigh and pulled her back, kissing her for the first time in two weeks. 

When they finally parted, he took all four of her hands in his own. “There’s one other thing,” he said. 

“What’s that?”

“We are going to rescue Varvatos.” He smiled. “We are going to get him back.”


	6. Krel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well shit, we're almost caught up to what I have written. I need to focus more on getting more done, but the updates are probably gonna start being slower from here... but that's okay! Because I'm still writing! XD

The night air was cool against Krel’s face as he walked with Andy and Aja to where they were meeting the others at the Planetarium. The view from the edge of the courtyard here really was breathtaking, and a smile tugged at his lips when they crested the hill and the gleaming lights of the city came into view. 

At his side, Andy tugged on his hand affectionately, and he gave hers a squeeze, mouth quirking up in a lopsided smile. “When we get back, we’re doing a Star Wars marathon,” she said, touching back on their conversation from earlier. “We’re watching all the movies and the show.”

“I do not see why I need to watch this Star War,” Krel said, brow furrowing as they rounded the building and approached Toby and Eli. “War is sad and horrible.”

“Yeah, real war is. But these movies aren't about real war. They’re about a fictional space war, and the movies are awesome,” Andy argued.

“I have seen enough human alien movies to know how it is going to end,” he shot back. 

“Star Wars isn't like most alien movies!” Andy protested, shaking his arm from their intertwined fingers in mock anger. “It takes place in a galaxy far far away! Humans are aliens too! Aliens and people live in harmony!” 

“Well,” Toby mused, tapping his chin, “almost all aliens and people live in harmony. The Separatists don't live in harmony with the Republic.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like movies like Alien or Predator,” Andy insisted. 

“She’s right there!” Eli said. “They’re some of my favorite movies.”

“Best one, go!” Andy said, using her free hand to point at Eli accusationally, putting him on the spot. 

“Uhhhhhhh… The Empire Strikes Back!” Eli stammered, putting his hands up. 

“Go!” Andy said, pointing to Toby. 

“I dunno, uhh… The Phantom Menace?” 

“Booooooo,” Eli jeered, and Toby flipped him off. 

“Shut up Pepperjack, I liked it.” He whirled around to Andy. “GO!”

“Revenge of the Sith!” 

“What!?” Eli exclaimed, dumbfounded. “It’s… it’s a prequel! It’s terrible!”

“Yeah but Obi-Wan though,” she said. “Obi-Wan.”

“Okay, you have to choose one based on how good you thought it was, not on how hot one of the characters is,” Toby said, crossing his arms and chuckling. 

“Fiiiiiiiine,” Andy groaned in concession. “The Force Awakens.”

“You have horrible taste,” Eli said, definitively. 

“Hey, it has a lot of potential! Be nice!” Andy protested. Krel was thoroughly confused as to what this conversation was, but the humans were very engaged in this discussion and it was frankly one of the more entertaining things he’d been a part of today. 

“Hey, hey Andy,” Toby giggled. 

“Hm?” she asked, looking over to where he was standing perched on the railing. 

He jumped down from the railing into a defensive pose, holding his hammer out in front of him. “Hello there!”

Andy’s face broke into a wicked grin. She did a little spin, making a show of lifting all four arms. “General Kenobi!” she exclaimed. “Damn, this would be funnier if I had four serrators.”

“We’re definitely making a video of that later, though,” Toby laughed. “I’ve gotta send it to Jim.”

“I literally have no idea what just happened,” Aja said, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head, smile on her face. 

“Same,” Krel agreed. Humans and their pop culture could be so confusing at times. 

Andy slung a free right arm around his waist, pulling him a bit closer into what was almost a casual embrace. “Could you run a refresher on the plan for those of us going?” she asked, running a left hand through her hair. 

Krel winced. He’d forgotten to tell her. “I… well I checked with Mother.”

“Okay?”

“And… you can't come.”

“What? Why not!?” Andy asked, sounding a bit hurt and frustrated. 

“You still need to breathe oxygen to live,” he explained. “The atmosphere won't be thick enough for you.”

She huffed a large sigh. “This sucks. Who’s gonna protect you?” She looked up at him, worry on her face. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he said reassuringly, standing so he was across from her, holding all four of her hands. “I am going to be okay.”

“You better be,” she said, leaning over and smooching him on the cheek. “I’m gonna kill you if you die.”

“That is… if I was already dead you could not kill me again,” he said, eyes narrowing in confusion. 

She laughed. “I’m goofing around, Tarron.” 

About ten more mekrons passed as they waited on Stuart. Eli looked out over the city with his binoculars, Krel pacing behind him. “He should have been here by now! Those Durians are always late,” he complained, throwing his hands up in frustration. 

“And this is all one big rescue mission, for your geezer friend?” Eli asked, turning towards him. 

“For Varvatos, yes,” Krel corrected, walking over to stand next to him. “He’s being held at a bounty hunter outpost on the Earth’s moon.”

“The moon!?” Toby gasped. “SO FLIPPING COOL! Although probably not so much for your geezer friend.”

Andy snorted. “You could say that much. Also, stop calling him that. He’s not old.” 

“He looked old when I saw him around,” Eli replied. 

“That’s just his transduction. You remember what he looked like in those logs. He’s huge, and he’s probably about middle aged.”

“Yeah, he is about the equivalent of ‘middle age’,” Krel confirmed, nodding. He heard Aja’s phone ring, and she pulled away to answer it. From the way she was talking he guessed it was probably Zadra, checking in on them for the upteenth time that delson. 

“Y’know, you’d probably really like Rogue One,” Andy said, rubbing her chin in a thoughtful stance. 

“Still going on about the Star War?” Krel shook his head incredulously. “Really?”

“What!? You’d love it! You’d really like the second main character, Cassian Andor. He’s this dope rebel soldier who actually, now that I think about it, sounds a lot like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“His voice,” she clarified. 

“Holy shit, you’re right!” Eli exclaimed, turning around. “Weird coincidence."

“Rogue One was really good,” Toby said, nodding to Andy. 

“Man, I cried so hard,” she recounted. 

“Same here,” Toby confirmed. 

“I only cried a little,” Eli boasted. Toby shot him a look and he huffed. “Okay, yeah, I cried a lot.”

Krel heard Aja sigh as she hung up, and they turned around to face her. “Thanks for covering for us,” she said. “Did you bring the gear?”

Toby patted the large cardboard box next to him, which contained the mascot costume for Arcadia Oaks High. “As requested!”

There was the hum of a motor, and the four of them turned around to see what Krel assumed was Stuart’s ship. “Awesome!” Eli gasped, pure glee written all over his face.

“Saucer!” Toby said immediately after, making a little play on words of his favorite phrase. 

“That is a lot more on the nose than I expected,” Andy laughed. “I did not know that interplanetary life forms actually traveled by flying saucer.”

Krel laughed. “It’s popular among some older models. That ship is… old.” 

The top hatch popped open and Stuart’s familiar green face sprung into view. “Greetings, your Majesties! Your chariot awaits!” The ship spluttered and wobbled, and Krel looked on nervously. 

“That doesn't inspire confidence,” he said, voice full of concern. 

Aja strode past him and hopped up onto the railing. “And how long is it going to take us to reach the moon,” she asked, jumping up and planting her feet firmly on the edge of the saucer, “in that?”

Andy hefted the box and handed it to Krel, kissing him on the cheek. “Stay safe!” she chirped, and although her voice was cheery her eyes betrayed her, showing the anxiety she was feeling. 

“Don't worry, I will,” he said. Krel took the box with the mascot in it and followed Aja, but didn't stick the landing right, beginning to lose his balance on account of the added weight from the parcel. He started to scream, but Aja whipped around and grabbed onto the package, stabilizing him. Andy had made a sound of alarm and rushed to the edge of the railing, too far away to help.

“Assuming we make good time, twenty to thirty, tops,” Stuart said, in reply to Aja's query. 

“Wow! Minutes?” Eli asked, voice full of amazement. 

“Very droll. Ha! This one’s a comedian!” Stuart laughed. “No, not minutes. Hours!” He dropped from the top hatch down below, and the twins followed after him. “So, if you have to use the john, do so now or forever hold your pee.” 

Aja lowered down from the hatch, and Krel followed suit, dropping the box first. It landed with a thud and he came down hard on top of it, landing in a sitting position with a grunt. 

Toby, Eli, and Andy all waved as the trio sped off into the atmosphere, wishing them well. Krel looked at the time on his phone and sucked a breath in through his teeth. This was gonna be a loooooong trip.


End file.
